Game apparatus



Dec. 2, 1930. v. D. sALTER 1,783,370

GAME APPARATUS Filed April 2, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet l v. D. sALTER 1,783,370

GAME APPARATUS Dec. 2, 1930.

Filed April 2, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 2, 1930. v, D, SALTER '1,783,370

GAME APPARATUS Filed April 2, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 V.D.sALTER Dec. 2; 1930.

GAME APPARATUS Filed April 2, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Dec. 2, 1930 UNITED STATES PAT-Emi OFFICE vERNoN n. 'sAL'rnia orv OAKLAND7` CALIFORNIA GAME APPARATS I Application led April 2, 1928.` `.Serial iNo, 266,'550.

' a toy simulation of pool and like games.

Certain ofthe objects of my invention relate to the improvement in constructionand f organization of the toy :of my invention.

Otherand ancillaryxobjects of my Vinvention will be suggested in the following def scriptionand in the use of the device of my invention. 1

Referringto the drawings: Fig-ure 1 is a plan View of the device of my invention. Fig. Qis front elevation ofthe same. Fig. A3 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. i is a'vertical longitudinal section of the same; the plane of section ibeing indicated aline 4.-'-4in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section of the same.; the plane of section being indicated by` .a line 5-5 in.

Fig; l. i

Figs. 6 to l12a're details of the operating mechanism-'ofthedevice of my invention.

6 is a front elevati-onl of the coin-controlled spring motorffor driving the, device of my invention. Fig. 7 is a pla-nview; of the same. Figs. '8 and 9 are' front elevational details ofV the coin receiver respectively in initial and final positions. Figs. 10, '11, and' `12are diagrammatic representations of the cueactuating cam inV successive-positions `of operation( "Y w In the device of my invention, l[^provijde a miniature poolv table 1, 'having holes or pockets formed thereinat la, 15,16, 1d,1e,1f

r and 1g (Fig. 1), through which ballsforaproV '3 jectilesv 2a, 2b etc. may; drop.; the balls being adapted to roll yon the table.

' A panfor receptacle-3, (Figs. 4 and 1l), beneath the table, is adapted tocatch the balls, which drop through the holes, therein. This receptacle (see Fig. 4) Y is ltiltablysupported bynanaxle` l extending transversely :below the middle of the table 1, and secured in.con vement manner to the side `rails beneath the top surface of the table. The 4pan 8 is broad enough -to underlie the holes in the table top, and extends tapering lengthwise in both directions fromA its axis to two opposite points near the ends of the table l. I-Ihe bottom of' thel pan is depressed from each side toward the center to form a longitudinal channel into which the balls roll and along, whichthey roll to one or the other end of the pan depending. upon which way the pan is tilted. The pan isinclined slightly downward .at its extreme ends Vto retain a ballthereon while yeither end of the pan isbeing elevated.

1 Immediately above each extreme end of the pan, the table 1 has holes formed therein at 1h and 1j, through which a ball may be ele vated to the upper surface of the table. Thus it will` beseen that balls dropping through holes 1a, 1o etc. in the table .top may be raised again to the surface of the table at eitherlh orly' by tilt-ing the pan?, in one directionor the other. Preferably the table top is inclined very slightly toward the holes formed therein, so that stray balls will eventual-lyrbe collected by the pan 3. (Of course the same result might be accomplished by, inclining the table toward one edge or corner, forming an opening at this lowermost position, rand extending the pan Y 3 to underlie said open-ing.) i Y Means are provided for striking the balls Qa, 2b, etc. which are elevatedl through holes 1h and 1j. A striker in theform of a minia- -ture billiard cue 5 lorti is provided ateach end ofthe table' and is supported the eiigy 6 or 6 of a player. f Eachv efigy is represented as leaning one hand and forearm on the edge of the table adjacent the holelor 1jf;fthis forearmbe# ing pivotedron an vertical axis 'to ythetable; andthe cue is -slidable through'an opening formed this hand. The other arm of each i' ing the cues.

aimed by swinging the entire body of the elligy about its vertical axis.

The game device is completely encased; the table and efligies being supported on a floor 7, and being walled and roofed in by a rectangular glass case 8. The Hoor is supported (Fig. Ll) by a plurality of leveling screws 9 in bosses 10 extending from the walls of a base support 11 of metal or other suitable material.

Accessible means are provided for swiveling the eiiigies to aim the cues. Transverse slots are formed in the floor 7 beneath the rearwardly extending foot of each efligy, and

, the vertical ends of bell-crank levers 12 and l2 (Figs. 1, 4 and 5) extend up through these slots and are secured to the rearwardly extending foot of each efligy. The levers are fulcrumed on horizontal pins 13 and 13 exl tending from the end walls of the base support 11. The long arms of these bell crank levers extend out through vertical slots in the front wall of the base support, and terminate in handles 12a and 12a. When the handles are moved up or down, the eftigies are swung in one direction or the other to aim the cues.

The forwardly extending foot of each eiigy .is pivoted to the floor in line with the pivot of the forwardly extending arm thereof simply to provide a supplemental support therefor. Of course either the pivot in the foot or in the arm may be dispensed with. ln the lattercondition, if desired, the forwardly extendingfoot may be positioned directly under the hole 171J or 1y' so that the pivotal axis about which the elligy is moved will intersect the center of the ball to be hit. In the illustrated positioning of the pivot point, a certain spinning action is imparted to the ball, which provides for skill of the player in addition to mere accuracy of sighting.

Automatic means are provided for actuat- A connecting rod 14 or 14 (Fig. 4l) is connected to the pivoted arm of each effigy, extends below the surface of the table through a guide bracket, and terminates in an ell abutment against a cam 15. A tension spring 16 joins the ends of the rods 14 and 14C (Fig. 1) and urges them upon opposite sides of the cam 15. (See Figs. 10 to 12.) The cam rises gradually to a sharp dropping-off point at 15a; at which point the follower is permitted a sharp rapid move'- inent under influence of the spring 16. It is this movement which pulls the cue 'arm of the eigy forward suddenly and causes the cue to strike the ball. The cam is fixed to and rotated relatively slowly by a drive shaft 17 journaled transversely of and beneath the table surface. The drive shaft is spaced from and parallel to the axle l and is similarly journaled in the side rails of the table.

' Means are provided for oscillating the cues back and forth to make a feint, just as would be done by a playei preparing to hit a billiard ball. The cam 15 has several undulations 15?), 150, etc. ahead of the droppingoff point 15a. These undulations cause the cues to be oscillated several times just short of striking position before the ball is finally struck.

Coin-controlled means are provided for rotating the drive shaft 17. lllhile it is one object of my invention to provide a toy which is readily susceptible to coin-controlled actuation; the coin-controlled mechanism itself is not new and will be described but briefly as follows:

A standard 18 projects above the front of the base support 1l, and has a short horizontal operating shaft 19 (Figs. 7 to 9) journaled in its upper portion. A crank handle 2O is secured to the front of the shaft 19, and provides means for manually rotating the operating shaft.

A disc 21 is keyed to the shaft 19, and a housing 22 envelopes the disc. A coin slot is formed in the top of the housing 22, and

a coin-carrying notch is formed in the periphery of th-e disc to receive a coin 23. The dise is normally held in coin-receiving position by a spiral tension spring 24 fixed to and extending around a drum 25 (Fig. 7) on the shaft 19 and having its free end attached to a pin 26 projecting from the housing 22.

The shaft 19 is prevented from full operative rotation, unless a coin has been deposited, by a spring-pressed pawl 27 cooperating with a notch formed at 21a in the disc 21. (The notches at 21?) in the disc 21 are too small to be caught by the pawl 27 and are not affected by it.) A hump 27a on the pawl 27 is adapted to coact with a com 23 to lift the pawl and permit full operative rotation of the shaft 19 when a coin has been properly inserted. A small spring-pressed pawl 28 coacts with the notches at 21?) to prevent reverse rotation of the shaft 19 until forward rotation has proceeded v far enough to drop the coin as shown in Fig. 9 into the coin-collecting base-support The notch at 21a permits the pawl 28 to flip back out of restraining position after the desired amount of rotation has takenl place. n

An eccentric cam 29 is secured to the rear of operating shaft 19. A lever 8O (Figs. 6 and 7) is pivoted with its upper arm in the path of cam 29, and has a strong spring 31 attached to and adapted to be extended or cocked by the lower end of the lever. (The spring is shown in Fig. 6 but has been omitted from Fig. 7 to avoid confusion.) lWhen the shaft 19 is rotated to the position shown in Fig. 9, the spring 31 is extended sufficiently to operate the entire toy through its cycle. A rack 32 (Fig. 6) is pivoted at one end to the lower end of the lever 30 and has its free portion held by a roller 33 against a'pinion 34. The pinion 34 is fixed to a shaft 35 bearing a crank 36. A free gear 37 is journaled on the shaft 35, and a spring pressed pawl v38 on the crank 36 bears against this gear 37.

When the spring 31 is being extended the pawl 38 permits the crank 36 to be drawnv freely over the gear 37, and when the spring 31 recoils it causes rotation of the gear 37. A train of step-up gears (Fig. 6) 39, 40 and 41, magnify the motion of gear 37 and transmit this motion to the drive shaft 17 aforedescribed to which the gear 41 is fixed.

An escapement is provided to limit the speed of the train of gears. A gear (Fig. 6) 42 on the drive shaft 17 meshes with an idler gear 43 which drives a star wheel 44. VAn escapement stop 46 is pivoted adjacent the st-ar wheel and is provided with barbs 46a and 46?) adapted alternately to catch in the teeth of the star wheel. Adjust-able weights 46c and v46d are providedonthe escapement stop to control the periodicity of its pendulum action, and thus to control the speed of the gear tra-in and drive sha-ft17.

A complete-cycle stop (Fig. 6) is provided for halting actuation of the drive shaft. An idler gear 47 meshes with a pinion 48 on the drive shaft 17, and has a stop pin 49 thereon.

A lever 50 carries an abutment 50a adapted to coact with the pin 49 Vto stop the gear 48 after one complete revolution; thereby stopping the drive shaft after about five revolutions depending upon the ratio between gears 47 and 48. The outer end `of lever 50 lies in the path of crank 36, and is raisedby it to permit actuation of the device after the spring 31 has been extended.

rPhe aforedescribed gearing and other mechanism is considered coin-controlled mechanismfor rotating the drive shaft 17; which `in turn automatically actuates the game of my invention as aforedescribed.

Fixed on the drive shaft 17 is a. secondcam 51 to tilt the receptacle about the axis 4 to pass a ball 2b through the hole 1j in the table 1 just previous to the ball being struck by the striker 5. To cause the opposite end of the receptacle 3 to elevate, a counterWeight 52 is attached to the receptacle as at 53. l

n I have described one embodiment of my invention ,in detail, but it is emphasizedthat may be passed, a tiltable receptacle underlying all of said holes and pivoted about an axis intermediate of the two extreme holes, whereby a ball dropping through a hole may be elevated through either of said extreme holes to the surface of said table.

\ 2. In a game apparatus, a table having' a fixed table top provided with at least three holes therein through which balls jmay be passed, a tiltable receptacle beneath said holes and pivoted about an axis intermediate of the two extreme holes, whereby a ball dropping through a hole may be elevated through either of said extreme holes to the surface of said table, strikers supported in operative position adjacent said extreme holes, and'driving means for successively tilting saidf receptacle and actuating said strikers.

3. In a game apparatus, a table having a least three holes thereinthrough whichballs may be passed, a tiltable receptacle underlyingY all of saidholes and pivoted about an axis intermedite of a pair of the holes, wherefollowers bearing on the last-recited saidcam and connected to said strikers.

4. In a vgame apparatus, a table having at least three holes therein through which balls may be passed, a tiltable receptacle underlying Vall of said holes and lpivoted about an axis intermediate a pair 0f the holes, where- Yby a ball dropping through a hole may be I .by a ball dropping through a hole may be elevated through either of the holes of said pairrto the surface of said table, strikers supported in operative position adjacent the,

holes of said pair, and driving mechanism for successively tilting said 'receptacle and actu ating said strikers.

In testimony whereof, I aiix my signature.

VERNON D. sALTER,

this embodiment is illustrative and notincluthan all its advantageousfeatures or with modifications withinrits purview. -Itis petitioned that my invention belimited only by Y the claims constituting its Vfinal determination.

I claim :A

1. In a game apparatus, a table having at l 

